ExSilent Experience Please

Hearing Aids
#1

Is anyone able to give feedback on their own experience of ExSilent …. their hearing aids …… or their service through an approved network ?

I’m attracted to the company who sell QleafPro, Qleaf and Q aids …. all CIC type …… and have announced this spring a new range of RIC aids called Ytango, although we only have a March dated Press Release indicating April availability - but no product entry yet, by June!.

I like the fact that they are a young start-up company (born 2005) …. these usually have energy enough to drive innovation in quest of market survival. But with resources split between the USA and Netherlands, no approved outlets in my own country (the UK), I fear there may be drawbacks aplenty.

#2

i have not tried ExSilent products but a few of my friends have and were not pleased. too much feedback and a muffled sound. i got them to try my brand and now they are much happier. its a BTE though. and idk if you are set on your type of hearing aid but i do know that the BTE that i get is very comfortable.

#3

Hmm, We just became the distributer of the ExSilent Qleaf Pro in the UK last week (Cluistrom) but I cant tell you anything about it yet as they have just come in and we have not fitted any! (We will be supplying them pre-programmed to care home residents and not to the open market really) From all the demos we did and our own tests it seemed very very good. Im surprised at a comment about its feedback because thats one of the best selling points. There really should be none. However the Qleaf Pro is only just out so maybe it was the original ExSilent that BikeChicks friends tried. That said Im not a qualified HAA (yet) so maybe I will get shot down in flames??? I guess you already know its a modular aid and not a BTE? I have been in the trade for a few years and would suggest trying everything you fancy from anyone! My Mum (Exsilent guinea pig) has had Resound B’s ,Dots ,Oticon Verves , Starkey S series the lot! This is the first time she has had a modular and so far so good. Its not for everyone though.

#4

Interesting post, Cluistrom …… you pose some questions, however. I’m trying to assess my chances of ever getting to trial ExSilent’s hearing aids in the UK …… I’ve had an offer from HQ to take the opportunity whilst temporarily in Holland, but I’m nervous of not having longer-term local support if I was as positive about their Ytango Pro as I expect to be.

Your recently acquired status of UK Distributor for the ExSilent QleafPro …… is this a model specific title that you hold? …… with all the other models in the ExSilent range now and in future belonging to other organisations and perhaps not yet allocated and whose distributor rights across the UK might be acquired by someone other than you?

You say you will not be supplying to the open market, restricting supply to a pre-programmed format for care homes. Is this restriction a choice that Cluistrom are making ?..… or is this a restriction decided by ExSilent who may separately appoint another UK distributor for open market customers? …… and available through normal high street audiologists?

I don’t understand the term “modular” that you use. There is an air of making up the end item from a kit of parts dependent on what you want it to be …… but the only part I can see that would fit the bill here is the earbud which comes in different sizes to fit different ear canal sizes …. is this what defines it as a modular type?

I must say, I think you are on the right tack for the care home clientele where the totally internal, and therefore less vulnerable, CIC types may cause less trouble (less likely to be brushed off and lost) but where the normal drawback of this type, needing a patient-specific ear mould to be made, has been done away with. I’m not sure, however, that the audiologist community in this forum would agree with the vision of a pre-programmed aid!

#5

Veritas,
We have indeed just become the distributer in the Uk but the model we were interested in was only the Qleaf Pro as some of its benefits clearly make it the easier to deal with for our application. We are the Uk distributer for all of the products and indeed the Ytango is a very exciting hearing aid with the receiver and microphone in the ear. We chose to supply the QLP only because we have found in the past that care home residents seem to get on better with CICs especially with clients who have some form of dexterity problem (and/or heavy -strong-prescription eye wear)

I use the term modular only in terms of “everything in one unit” and no mould required and this seems to be the term most of the hearing aid manufacturers are using (Starkey AMP for instance - A product we looked very closely at.)

The “closed market” was indeed a decision the company made as for us it did not mean having to employ vast numbers of HAAs to service the UK market with our care home partners. The QLP will be sold more as an assisted listening device which as Im sure you are aware is way below its actual capability.

Veritas, if you can give me an indication of where you are in the UK then I will see who we have who is close enough to help you out and we will look to let you trial a Ytango. In the future we do intend to build a network of independents who will supply the whole range of products but this is still early for us as a company and we have so few HAA’s so you have just arrived a little too early!

I totally understand your point about some audiologists thoughts on pre-programming and indeed modular hearing aids that require little or no time in actual fitting and although the markets in other countries are certainly increasing for this type of sale I think in this country the system is about right.

#6

Hi Cluistrom,

This is an offer I can’t refuse … I live in north Essex, near to Halstead … nearest biggish towns are Colchester and Chelmsford. I’d like to issue notice, however, that I’ll be the fussiest person in the world regarding the audiologist … my belief is a competent one is worth their weight in gold … and getting a careless or incompetent one skews the outcome so much that a fair trial becomes impossible … and the customer (me, in this case) will never know the correct capability of the hearing aid he’d like to assess.

How you choose a “good un” is beyond me … but I know it’s the most important contributing factor.

I’d like to continue this through the forum’s private message system, for which my profile is enabled …. but I can’t see how to make it work ……… any advice welcome.

#7

I am in process of getting Qleaf . I wana ask one thing my hearing loss is moderate 66db in left ear and 75 in right ear . Earlier i was using Bernafon win 401 and it was good for me …i faced lil problems as i was using only one in left ear but i was happy . Is it worth to buy Qleaf?? The main problem in cic is their visibility . I have qleaf dummies believe me they are much invisible than cic if you cut that flexible case no one can see them

#8

Bought Qleaf today will Tell you people about it …so far i am happy

#9

Hi Vaiyun,
I’m also interested in the QLeaf… how has your experience been so far?
Especially with respect to size and comfort?
Thanks!

#10

vaiyun has not signed in to the forum since October 2011.

I expect they have moved on.

#11

Sorry I didnt signed in here as i was too busy, I bought Qleaf and its very complicated as it hurts most of time, when u change tip/cover it hurts too much but with time pain go away and you have to change tip almost every 2 months so that hearing aid is fit inside and no feedback comes.
Its openfit hearing aid and consists of hearing aid and tip in which hearing aid is inserted which is then placed inside ear.

Hearing aid is good but sound quality is different from my previous bernafone CIC which was better i think, I havent tried much hearing aids but i will say sound is totally different from bernafone.

Yes it is invisible and i am wearing them from past one year and no one still knows i am wearing them. A lot depends upon shape of your ear and it goes deep inside, only a person can see who is focussing inside your ear.

Overall it is good for me but i am still looking for lyric or esteem implant.

Thanks
Sorry for late reply

#12

I dont come here often you can contact me on rahul001silk@yahoo.com i would be happy to help anyone :slight_smile:

#13

It is a ready fit device from a company with no services available in the US. I had a patient come to me who was fit in India. He was not happy with it, it hurt, sound quality was poor. The Starkey AMP is a similar device with a network to provide care and service. My choice try a custom CIC or RIC.

#14

I first got hearing aids in the mid-90’s. I compared digital and analog, and I liked the analog better, although everyone raved about the digital. I just felt I could hear better with analog. They were CIC aids. They broke down a few years ago, and I wanted to get some new aids. I have mild to moderate hearing loss. I went to Costco last month and had a hearing test. The results:

Hz db
250 15
500 20
1K 20
1.5k 30
2k 40
4k 45
7k 60
8k 65

They let me try a behind the ear aid at Costco. I got a similar feeling to the old digital aids from the 90’s. I started looking around the web for alternatives and ran into exsilent sold by century. They had two models, the Q leaf pro made for your specific hearing loss, and the Q leaf go, which is not custom made for your hearing loss. The go was substantially less expensive and there was a 30 day free trial so I gave it a go. I call these things hearing aids, but technically since they are not custom made for my hearing loss, they are not really hearing aids.

I can make the aids go deep in my canal if I use some oil in my ears, but they aren’t very comfortable that way. I prefer to just have the tip of the sleeve in my ear canal. I have to cut off the piece used to grab the aid for removal when it is deep in the ear, but the aids are still not very noticeable with this configuration.

For me, these hearing aids are fantastic. There is no door that the battery slides into, just pull back the sleeve and insert or remove the batteries-piece of cake. The sound quality is excellent, much better than the aids I tried at Costco, but please remember my experience with digital versus analog. The tap technology is awesome, I love not having to manipulate some dial or button on the hearing aid to adjust the level.

The only question now is durability. I’ll let you know how that goes.

#15

Hi there, how has your experience been so far?
Like you, I prefer analog vs digital.
However, my analogs are dying,
and I’m planning to replace them with Q Leaf Pro.

I also have the Phonal Naida V,
but have given up on them because the sound is too soft.